Sometimes you have to look closely and sometimes you don’t. This recent listing on the auction site for a RY Models PRR H21a Quad Hopper Car is actually kind of funny.

First, the model is a triple hopper not a quad. Rich did import triple hoppers, but this is not one of those imports. As I type this, the auction is up to $79, that is a lot for what this model is.

Look closely at the grab irons on the car. They are flat not round wire like the better brass imports.

Looking at the underside of the car you can see that it is actually a Weaver 70 ton offset hopper car that someone put in the wrong box.

More and more collections are being sold by people that do not know about O Scale models, this is happening more than it should. It starts with boxing the models correctly and it winds through to knowing what a model is, no matter what is written on the box.

The new owner is going to be very disappointed when this model arrives. If the auction closed today they would be paying $79 plus shipping for a model that often will not sell at a train show when priced at $20. But they will have a nice RY Models box to put it in.

Update: Last night the auction closed at $99

All photos downloaded from the auction site.